Pope Francis attends the weekly general audience at the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, December 14, 2022. REUTERSPIX: Pope Francis revealed for the first time in an interview Sunday that he had signed a resignation letter nearly a decade ago should poor health prevent him from carrying out his duties.
In Spanish newspaper ABC, the pontiff said he signed his resignation letter and handed it over to the Vatican's secretary of state, Tarcisio Bertone, before that cardinal's retirement in 2013. Asked by the interviewer whether he wanted that fact to be known, Francis replied: “That’s why I’m telling you.”Francis has been limited in his ability to walk by an inoperable knee condition which has forced him to rely on a wheelchair in recent months.
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